In May 2020, the Carleton University Strategic Indigenous Initiatives Committee (CUSIIC) released 41 calls to action in a report titled, Kinàmàgawin. More than a year later, Carleton is progressing slowly but surely through that list of actions.
In 2019, the CUSIIC hosted over 40 engagement sessions with Indigenous and non-Indigenous people within Carleton and the wider community to construct a formal report for the university to focus on.
“Kinàmàgawin is about the future. Learning in the Indigenous way, the humility of seeking and sharing knowledge of all of our gifts will ensure that the next seven generations will benefit,” Elder Barbara Dumont-Hill wrote in the report’s opening.
According to the report, Kinàmàgawin aims to cultivate safe environments for Indigenous knowledge, ensure all graduates understand Indigenous culture, increase Indigenous peoples’ representation within Carleton’s faculty and student body and recognize the need to combat institutional issues.
Carleton interdisciplinary studies librarian Martha Attridge Bufton, who participated in the initial sessions, said the Kinàmàgawin calls to action are “visibly engaging steps towards creating positive change.”
Attridge Bufton said the sessions were centered around consensus decision-making and embraced the voices of all participants.
Third-year geophysics student Gavin Woodburn from Kwiakah First Nation said the CUSIIC “did a great job at making us feel like the students are equally as important as some of the faculty members that are also working in this.”
Kinàmàgawin was modelled after the federal government’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 2015 calls to action which have a section dedicated to “Education for Reconciliation.”
The Kinàmàgawin report reflects some of the demands in the TRC, especially Call to Action #62ii which calls for the federal government to work with post-secondary institutions to better integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.
Carmen Robertson, who is joint-appointed to Carleton’s School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies, said adequate progress has been made by the university.
“I think Carleton has done an impressive job of beginning to follow through on the 41 calls to action with new programs, new hires and opportunities for change,” Robertson said.
However, Woodburn cited COVID-19 as a barrier to some calls to action.
“You can see some areas that they’re working on and other areas where maybe once COVID is less of a thing they’ll be able to properly start working towards,” he said.
At a Sept. 30 meeting of Carleton’s Board of Governors, Kinàmàgawin co-chairs Benny Michaud and Kahente Horn-Miller provided an update on the calls to action’s progress.
They said Carleton’s progress can be seen through the hiring of Indigenous faculty, the launch of the Indigenous Peer Mentorship program and the introduction of the new Collaborative Indigenous Learning Bundles, among other ongoing projects.
Attridge Bufton, Robertson and Woodburn also said there are now additional safe spaces on campus, additional funding for Indigenous research and new courses to promote Indigenous knowledge and culture.
Moving forward, Robertson and Woodburn said they believe the school could improve in communicating its progress.
“When we had started out with the Kinàmàgawin report, I saw in weekly or monthly newsletters a bit about the progress,” Woodburn said. “But in terms of, is there anywhere you can actually see the progress? There’s nothing that I know of.”
Robertson agreed, saying “we need to be sure that the calls to action continue to be part of yearly planning.”
She added that the school has yet to introduce Indigenous language and culture courses taught by native language speakers.
Woodburn said more work needs to be done but expressed hope in the steps Carleton is taking.
“I think there will be lots to come,” Woodburn said.
Featured graphic by Sara Mizannojehdehi.
